cichlidman2010 Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Hi all I'm building a new fish room next year, so I'm starting the researching and planning now ! The room won't be huge, about 10sqm. It will hold 15 4ft tanks (5 bays long, 3 tanks high). The top two rows of tanks will be able to be split into two 2ft tanks. The room will be fully insulated with batts, plaster boarded and painted with water resistant paint and will have a decent sized basin with hot and cold water and also a drain for water changes. Here is a list of questions: What to use as flooring ? (already a concrete floor underneath) How should I heat the tanks ? Should i use individual heaters or heat the room and keep it sealed ? What is the most economical way to filter tanks this size for fry ? What will be the cheapest way to light the tanks ? (enough to see the fish) Has anyone got this many tanks ? If so, what do you pay in power ? Does anyone have any experience with solar power and tanks ? Any answers will be greatly appreciated ! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 I would use polystyrene in the walls and ceiling. My personal preference. Floor you could just leave as concrete. Would get more expensive if you wanted to insulate it. Heating the room will be easier than heating the tanks. Only need one heater that way. But still have heaters in a few tanks for back ups. Drill your tanks and use overflows to a sump, and use sponge filters in each tank to help. Light can just be 4ft fluros on the ceilings. You don't really need to light the tanks unless you have plants etc that need the light. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 if using a sump to filter tanks you run the risk of disease being transferred to the whole system but its a risk worth weighing up as it would be much simpler all plumbed together . another fishroom ive seen used HOB filter on the tanks but on the front glass for ease of maintenance. yet another used a large compressor style air pump using garden hose piped around the room then air lines were tapped into this using the 4mm irrigation barbs going to air powered filters just using aquarium gravel as the media. as for lighting the tanks it depends on how fussy you are about seeing the fish. as si_sphinx said it could be as simple as a 4foot batten but if you would really like to be able to see the fish you could use a energy saver bulb over each tank with a cheap clamp lamp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 i have a smaller fish room, to heat i just have 55w heaters in every tank, and i have HOB filters on the front of all my tanks, and a sponge/box filter in every tank to add airation, and yeah i would say poly 25mm thick is easyer to use and just as good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlidman2010 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 what do you pay in power a month ? how many tanks ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 i have 17 tanks, mostly 80L , and around 450, but thats for the house aswell, and my mum and brother are always on computers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlidman2010 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 thinking it may be cheaper to heat the room rather than tanks.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Floor you could just leave as concrete. Would get more expensive if you wanted to insulate it. I disagree.. The initial cost of putting some hardy carpet on the floor is higher than leaving it as-is, but don't forget that the room will be colder if you leave it uncovered. Carpetting makes a huge difference to the temperature of the room. I would get something that can survive lots of spills and vacuuming (something like that HFF has) because water changes are never as clean as we'd like them to be. If you really want to go for gusto, install a heat pump. Since the room is small, it will cost very little to maintain an ambient temperature which will save you money on your aquarium heaters. Furthermore, a heat pump can act as a dehumidifier, preventing mold in the room. Also remember to air the room out regularly. My 750L tank is in my smallish room so I dehumidify/ clear the air everyday so that the room doesn't smell quite so funky lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlidman2010 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 if the room was relatively sealed and insulated well as stated above, how many hours a day do you think the heat pump would be on for ? thanks for the info guys, its helping alot ! Ross Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 It is all about insulation. Doesn't matter wether you heat with one heater for the whole room or a heater thermostat in each tank the heating (ongoing) costs are the same but it costs a lot more to buy a heater for each tank. The more water you have in there the better because it acts as a heatsink. It costs very little to heat the air. I had a purpose built well insultated fish house with 60 tanks 600x600 and heated by a one bar heater and a fan wired to be on all the time. The element hardly ever came on. Another way is to heat the room to say 22-23 degrees and raise individual tanks with a seperate heater if required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 if the room was relatively sealed and insulated well as stated above, how many hours a day do you think the heat pump would be on for ? thanks for the info guys, its helping alot ! Ross I've heard that heatpumps can run 24/7 and the cost per day is approximately $1-ish. If the room is well-insulated, the heating element in the heatpump won't have to work as hard so it won't burn your bill. Even though the fan circulates the air in the room, I don't think that the heating element will be required for most of the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 We have a guy down here that uses a heat pump and gets 4 kW of heat for 1 kW of power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 We have a guy down here that uses a heat pump and gets 4 kW of heat for 1 kW of power. Awesome. My future fish room will be a converted garage with carpetting and a heat pump. Can't forget a couch too lol. Part fish room, part man-cave. :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Wouldn't carpet be a pain to dry out all the time if you keep getting spills? mould could occur underneath? Ive seen a few concrete floor garage fish rooms that hold heat well. Yes it would be better to insulate but it can still work without. What about vinyl with an insulating underlay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshlikesfish Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Boat carpet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
si_sphinx Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Marine grade carpet, yes would be go for spills, but insulation value?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cichlidman2010 Posted August 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Boat carpet Good idea ! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshlikesfish Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Marine grade carpet, yes would be go for spills, but insulation value?? Better than nothing! And feels better than concrete :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 31, 2011 Report Share Posted August 31, 2011 Heat rises and 10% of heat loss is through the floor and 40% is through the ceiling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acara Posted September 2, 2011 Report Share Posted September 2, 2011 I left my floor as bare concrete,it is non-slip,and water dries very quickly. A friend has just built a shed too,and he left the floor bare,except under the racks,which he painted with floor paint,to try and minimise possibility of dust,which may happen more on an unsealed concrete floor. Polystyrene is nowhere near as efficient for insulation as a proper insulation product. Here(Ireland) we have a few brands,Kingspan being one,and you can get it with plasterboard attached,and a foil layer for moisture resistance. Friend has used the 80mm insulation,and tanks are at 21 degrees,so heating would not cost much. It is Summer,but not particularly warm,and I'm assuming the room temperature will not drop much,even during the snow,as the insulation is extremely efficient. I would have a heater in each tank,cost a bit more setting up,but after reading of a guy who lost thousands of pounds worth of fish thanks to the failure of the thermostat on room heater,I wilol never go down that route. I'm unfamiliar with what heatpumps are. Sponge filters rigged up to a pond air pump are the way to go for filtration,especially in fry tanks. Look at wiring the sockets outside the plasterboard,so any additional wiring,and sockets are easily done. A small bathroom or kitchen type extractor fan may be helpful in keeping humidity and mould down. Wire it onto a timer,so it can be set to come on anytime you wish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navarre Posted September 3, 2011 Report Share Posted September 3, 2011 My room has a mix of heaters and air heated by a dehumidifer and a 2 kw fan heater room has mix of filtration...in tank and sump best of both worlds running 60 + tanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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